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Debunked rumors about former President Barack Obama’s sexuality resurface on social media
Long debunked rumors that former President Barack Obama is gay continue to spread on social media, and a recent Facebook post teases a premise of marital discord as a result.
"Michelle Obama finally responds to Obama’s hidden gay secret!!!" reads the description of a 10-minute video in an Aug. 19 Facebook post.
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The video itself neither suggests former first lady Michelle Obama responded to such a secret, nor does it show evidence of her doing so.
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Instead, the video retreads unfounded conspiracy theories about Barack Obama’s sexuality and Michelle Obama’s gender. It also alludes to a 2020 Snopes fact-check about a claim that Michelle Obama filed for divorce after her husband said he was gay. That claim originated on a satire site.
We looked for news stories or other credible sources corroborating this post about Michelle Obama responding to the former president’s alleged "hidden gay secret" and found none.
We rate this post Pants on Fire!
Our Sources
Facebook post, Aug. 19, 2023
PolitiFact, Comedian Joan Rivers was wrong about the Obamas, Jan. 19, 2023
Snopes, Did Michelle Obama File For Divorce After Barack Admitted He Was Gay?, Feb. 5, 2020
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Debunked rumors about former President Barack Obama’s sexuality resurface on social media
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